Cartridge valve with vacuum breaker

ABSTRACT

A cartridge valve 116 includes a fixed disk 80 and a movable disk 118 mounted in a housing 66. A lever 46 extends through a major opening 72 axially located at one end of the valve 116. The lever 46 is attached to a coupler 130 for facilitating movement of the movable disk 118 relative to the fixed disk 80 to control the flow and temperature of water passing through the valve 116. A flexible valve 144 is attached to the coupler 130 and, in normal use of the valve 116, prevents holes 136 formed therethrough from communicating with a passage formed through the movable disk 118. Air from the environment surrounding the valve 116 can enter the major opening 72, and upon the occurrence of a negative pressure in the water supply, will flex the valve 144 to allow air to enter the supply line to negate the undesirable effects thereof. In another cartridge valve 160, holes 166 are formed through the side wall of the housing 66 to provide further air communication through the holes 136 of the coupler 130. In still another cartridge valve 168, the lever 46 occupies the major opening 72 to the extent that there is no effective communication between the major opening and the holes 136 formed in the coupler 130. In this instance, the holes 166 formed in the side wall of the housing 66 provide the communication between the holes 136 of the coupler 130 and the environment surrounding the valve 116.

This application is a continuation of application No. 08/780,815, filedon Jan. 9, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,464.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a cartridge valve with a vacuum breaker, andparticularly relates to a cartridge valve for use in a faucet whereinthe valve contains therein an integral atmospheric vacuum breaker.

In one type of water-flow control valve, a pair of generally flat, hardplates or disks, composed of, for example, ceramic, are placed compactlywithin a shell or housing with other components to form a cartridgevalve. Each of the hard disks is formed with a highly polished surfacewhich is placed in interfacing engagement with the polished surface ofthe other disk. One of the hard disks is movable within the housing andrelative to the other disk which is fixed within the housing. A lever ofthe cartridge valve has portions which extend outward from the housingand portions which extend into the housing. Movement of the externalportions of the lever facilitates rotary and translatory movement of themovable disk relative to the fixed disk within the housing.

Typically, a hot-water inlet conduit and a cold-water inlet conduit areattached to the cartridge housing for selectively supplying hot and/orcold water thereto. The hot and/or cold water is supplied through inletholes formed through the fixed disk and into a mixing chamber or openingwhich is formed in the polished surface of the movable disk. The fixeddisk is formed with an outlet hole which extends through the fixed diskfor selective positioning with the mixing chamber to facilitatedirecting of the water, for example, from the chamber to a spout orspray head of a faucet unit, of which the cartridge valve is a part.

Historically, the cartridge valve has been designed so that the openingof the mixing chamber does not extend through the movable disk but isopen selectively to the polished surface and the inlet and outlet holesof the fixed disk only. The highly polished surfaces of the movable andfixed disks provide a watertight seal which confines the water passageto the inlet and outlet openings of the fixed disks and the mixingchamber of the movable disk.

Cartridge valves of the type described above are typically compact withthe components thereof being stacked and confined closely within thehousing. Over the many years since the introduction of such cartridgevalves, modifications have been made to the individual components of thevalves. However, because of the compact nature of the cartridge valves,and the limited available space in the faucets into which such valvesare typically mounted, few modifications have been made to the movableand fixed disks. Historically then, the fixed disk has been formed withthrough holes and the movable disk has been formed with an opening whichdoes not extend through the disk, as described above.

When faucet units include a spray head, either independently of thespout or from within the spout, water can be selectively directed to thespout or the spray head. Frequently, the spray head is used in thekitchen of a house when washing items, such as dishes, pots, pans,cutlery and the like. The items to be washed are placed into a sink intowhich water and soap are deposited and the items are washed by hand. Thespray head is typically used to rinse the soapy water, from the washeditem, into the sink. Eventually, the water in the sink becomes dirtyfrom the food residue being washed from the dishes.

During the period of using the spray head to rinse the items beingwashed, the person washing the items frequently will place the sprayhead, in the operating condition, into the dirty water whereby cleanwater exits from the spray head into the water in the sink.

It is possible that a sudden pressure drop, sometimes referred to as a"negative pressure," may occur in the pressure of the water beingsupplied to the valve. In this instance, the relative pressure levelsbetween the dirty water in the sink and the incoming clean waterreverses significantly to the extent that the dirty water is drawn, orsyphoned, into the spray head. A drop in pressure of this nature couldoccur, for example, because of a break in a nearby water main, or byfiremen drawing water from a local fire hydrant to extinguish a fire.With this reversal of water flow, the dirty water is drawn into thespray head, through the valve, into the inlet conduits and mixed withthe potable water within the house which could reappear when otherfaucets within the house are used.

To preclude the occurrence of the reverse water flow, systems weredeveloped some years ago which introduce atmospheric pressure into theinlet conduits to neutralize the effects of the negative pressure and toeffectively "break" the vacuum. Typically, these systems are referred toas vacuum breakers. An early example of a vacuum breaker is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 3,056,418, which issued on Oct. 2, 1962. The valve shownin U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,418 is commonly referred to as a "ball valve"which is movable within a valve chamber formed in a valve body. Withselective movement of the ball valve, incoming hot and/or cold water isdirected into a mixing chamber, defined by the hollow interior of theball valve, and then into an outlet line. The vacuum breaker, asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,418, includes a bore is formed in thevalve body, below the ball valve, and contains a floating ball whichreacts to the development of negative pressure in the water supply line.This allows air at atmospheric pressure to be introduced through thebore into the inlet lines to negate the effects of the negativepressure.

More recently, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,661, which issued onFeb. 21, 1989, a ball valve of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.3,056,418 was modified to include a flap valve within the hollowinterior of the ball valve to function as a vacuum breaker. In thiscontext, the vacuum breaker is located within the normally hollowinterior of the valve rather than being formed in the valve housingbelow the ball valve.

In the past, attempts have been made to provide a vacuum breaker withvalves of the cartridge type described above. As noted above, acartridge valve of this type includes two interfacing generally flat,hard disks located compactly within a housing with other compactlylocated components of the valve. Because of the compact assembly of thecomponents within the housing of a cartridge valve, there appears to beno opportunity for including a vacuum breaker within the cartridgevalve. Several embodiments of a vacuum breaker used in conjunction witha cartridge valve are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,483, which issuedon Nov. 13, 1990. In each of the embodiments, an elastic body functionsin the manner of a one-way valve to provide an anti-syphon device.However, in each embodiment, the elastic body is located outside of thecartridge valve with the components of the valve remaining in anunmodified compact arrangement within the housing of the cartridge.

Another recently developed vacuum breaker system, for use with acartridge valve, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,957, which issuedon Jul. 19 1994, and which is assigned to the assignee of thisapplication. In the vacuum breaker of U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,957, amanifold and a module having an umbrella valve assembled therewith areassembled below the cartridge. The umbrella valve responds to thedevelopment of a negative pressure and functions to neutralize theeffects thereof. Again, the responsive elements are located outside ofthe cartridge valve, with the components of the valve remaining in anunmodified compact arrangement within the housing of the cartridge.

As noted above, vacuum breakers were designed many years ago for usewith valves of faucet systems and, more recently, for use with cartridgevalves. However, such vacuum breakers have been external of thecartridge valves, thereby requiring additional space in the overallvalve assembly. Consequently, there is a need for a cartridge valvewhich includes a vacuum breaker located compactly within the housing ofthe cartridge valve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a cartridgevalve having a vacuum breaker arranged compactly within the cartridgevalve with the remaining components of the valve.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cartridge valve with avacuum breaker which facilitates the easy and efficient assembly of thecomponents thereof.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cartridge valvewith a vacuum breaker which can be easily assembled and disassembledwith respect to other facilities of a valve assembly of which thecartridge valve is a part.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cartridge valve witha vacuum breaker wherein a working element of the vacuum breaker can beeasily replaced.

With these and other objects in mind, this invention contemplates acartridge valve which includes a housing containing a first disk whichis fixed within the housing and a second disk which is movable withinthe housing and relative to the first disk. The second disk is formedwith a passage therethrough which is positionable in communication withan opening formed through the first disk upon selective movement of thesecond disk. A valve holder positioned adjacent the second disk has atleast one hole formed therethrough for communication with the passage ofthe second disk. A flexible valve attached to the valve holder blockscommunication between the hole of the valve holder and the passage ofthe second disk when the pressure of a medium in the passage is greaterthan the pressure of a medium in the hole and for allowing communicationtherebetween when the pressure in the passage is less than the pressurein the hole.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more fully apparent from the following detailed description ofthe preferred embodiment, the appended claims and the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a faucet having acartridge valve and a spray head mounted in and removable from a spoutshell;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a conventional cartridge valve;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing components of thecartridge valve of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the assembled arrangement of thecomponents of the cartridge valve of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an assembly of components of a firstembodiment of a cartridge valve in accordance with certain principles ofthe invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an assembly of components of a secondembodiment of a cartridge valve in accordance with certain principles ofthe invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an assembly of components of a thirdembodiment of a cartridge valve in accordance with certain principles ofthe invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a portion of the cartridge valve ofFIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a portion of the cartridge valve ofFIG. 7 in accordance with certain principles of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a coupler of the cartridge valveof FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 in accordance with certain principles of theinvention;

FIG. 11 is a top view showing a first major surface of the coupler ofFIG. 10 in accordance with certain principles of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a bottom view showing a second major surface of the couplerof FIG. 10 in accordance with certain principles of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a bottom view showing a first major surface of a movable harddisk of the cartridge valve of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 in accordance withcertain principles of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a second major surface of themovable hard disk of FIG. 13 in accordance with certain principles ofthe invention;

FIG. 15 is a side view with portions broken away showing an umbrellavalve of the cartridge valve of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 in accordance withcertain principles of the invention; and

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the umbrella valve of FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a single-control kitchen faucet 30 includes a base32, a casing 34 and a cartridge valve 36 located within a top opening ofthe casing. The faucet 30 further includes a spout assembly 38 formed bya hub shell 40 and a spout shell 42 with a spray head 44 at the free endof the spout shell. The hub shell 40 is positionable over the casing 40such that a lever 46 of the cartridge valve 36 extends through a topopening of the hub shell. A decorative cap 48 is positionable onto thehub shell 40 with the lever 46 extending therethrough. An operatinghandle 50 is threadedly attached to the top of the lever 46 and adecorative dome 52 is placed on the handle to complete the exterior ofthe faucet 30.

A hot water inlet conduit 54 and a cold water inlet conduit 56 extendinto the faucet 30 at the bottom of the casing 34 and an outlet conduit58 extends also from the bottom of the casing. A flexible conduit 60 iscoupled to the outlet conduit 58 and extends through the casing 34,through an opening 62 between the hub shell 40 and the spout shell 42,through the spout shell and is coupled to the spray head 44.

The faucet 30 can be used in a normal spout configuration, asillustrated, with the spray head 44 remaining in the spout shell 42 andthe handle 50 used to control the flow and temperature of the watersupplied through the faucet. In a spray mode, the spray head 44 isremoved from its assembly with the spout shell 42 whereby the flexibleconduit 60 allows the spray head to be withdrawn from the spout shelland moved about by a user. To operate the spray head 44, a button 64 ontop of the spray head is depressed and the handle 50 is adjusted forwater flow and temperature control. The portion of the flexible conduit60 which is coupled to the outlet conduit 58 is provided with sufficientslack to allow the user to withdraw the spray head 44 from the spoutshell 42 for a limited but fully useful distance.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge valve 36 includes a cylindricalhousing 66 with a base 68, a reduced cap-like top 70 aligned about anaxis 71. A bushing 74 is located within the housing 66 and is formedwith an opening 72 therethough, through which the lever 46 extends. Theopening 72 forms a major opening of the cartridge valve 36 in an axialdirection of the cylindrical housing 66. Referring to FIG. 3, thecartridge valve 36 further includes the bushing 74, a pin 75, a coupler76, a movable, generally flat disk 78 and a fixed, generally flat disk80. The movable disk 78 and the fixed disk 80 are each composed of ahard material such as, for example, ceramic. The cartridge valve 36 alsoincludes three resilient seals 82 within the valve and a gasket 84 atthe outer bottom portion of the base 68.

The cartridge valve 36 is fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,827,which is incorporated herein by reference thereto. U.S. Pat. No.5,402,827 issued on Apr. 4, 1995, and is assigned to the assignee ofthis application.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the lever 46 is attached for pivotingmovement to the bushing 74 by the pin 75. The bushing 74 is formed witha wide slot 86 which receives a projection 88 extending from the coupler76. The projection 88 is formed with an opening 90 (FIG. 4) whichreceives the inboard end of the lever 46. With this arrangement, thelever 46 can be rotated about its axis to rotate the bushing 74 and, inturn, the coupler 76. In addition, the lever 46 can be pivoted about theaxis of the pin 75 to provide translatory or lateral movement of thecoupler 76. Thus, the coupler 76 can be rotated and moved laterallythrough control of the outboard end of the lever 46.

The coupler 76 is formed with a plurality of lugs 92 which nest in acorresponding plurality of notches 94 formed in the movable disk 78 sothat any rotational and lateral motion of the coupler is coupled to themovable disk. The fixed disk 80 is attached to the housing 66 topreclude any relative movement therebetween. The seals 82 are locatedwithin the housing 66 between the fixed disk 80 and the base 68.

As shown in FIG. 3, the base 68 is formed with two inlet openings orholes 96 and 98 and an outlet hole 100 which are aligned with two inletholes 102 and 104 and an outlet opening or hole 106, respectively, whichare formed through the fixed disk 80. A key-hole shaped opening 108 isformed in a first surface 110 of the movable disk 78, the opening beingformed with a floor 112 such that the opening 108 does not extendthrough the movable disk. The fixed disk 80 is formed with a secondsurface 114 (FIG. 4) which is in interfacing engagement with the firstsurface 110 of the movable disk 78. The surfaces 110 and 114 are highlypolished to provide a water-tight seal as the movable hard disk 78 ismoved relative to the fixed hard disk 80.

The movable disk 78 can be positioned so that portions of the firstsurface 110 cover the inlet holes 102 and 104 of the fixed disk 80 topreclude the supply of water to the spray head 44 in either the spoutmode or the spray mode. The movable disk 78 can also be moved to alignportions of the opening 108 thereof with one or both of the inlet holes102 and 104 of the fixed disk 80 to allow hot and/or cold water to flowinto the opening 108, and then through the outlet hole 106 to the sprayhead 44. In this arrangement, the opening 108 of the movable disk 78functions as a mixing chamber where the hot and cold water are mixed.The amount of hot and cold water supplied to the mixing chamber, fortemperature satisfaction, is controlled by the proportions of the holes102 and 104 which are covered, or uncovered, when the movable disk 78 isselectively positioned by movement of the lever 46.

As can be readily seen in FIG. 4, the components of the cartridge valve36 are compactly and tightly mounted and contained within the housing66, with essentially no space for additional elements to be assembledtherein.

As described above in the Backgorund of the Invention, if the spray head44 is in the spray mode and is inserted into dirty water, the dirtywater could be siphoned into the spray head and ultimately into thepotable supply in the event a drop in pressure of the supplied wateroccurs. Typically, to prevent the siphoning of the dirty water, a vacuumbreaker is installed in the faucet in various ways as described above inthe Background of the Invention. However, with respect to the cartridgevalve 36, the compactness of the components within the valve heretoforehas not accommodated the placement of a vacuum breaker within the valve.As noted above with respect to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,969,483 and 5,329,957,vacuum breakers were developed for use with cartridge valves similargenerally to the cartridge valve 36. However, in each of these patents,the vacuum breaker facility was placed outside of the cartridge valve.

As disclosed in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, three embodiments of a cartridge valvehave been developed to include a vacuum breaker within the valve. Thisprovides facility for the ready and easy removal of the cartridge valve,including the vacuum breaker, if need be, for servicing or replacement.There is no need to relate separately with the removal of the vacuumbreaker independently of the removal of the cartridge valve.

In the following description, some of the components of the three newlydeveloped embodiments of the cartridge valve are functionally, if notphysically, similar to the components of the above-described cartridgevalve 36. In such instances, the same identification numerals for thecomponents of the cartridge valve 36, as used above, will be used infollowing description and drawings relating to the three newly developedembodiments. In some instances, different numerals will be used.

Referring to FIG. 5, a cartridge valve 116 forms a first embodiment of acartridge valve with an integral vacuum breaker. The cartridge valve 116includes a movable disk 118 having a highly polished, first majorsurface 120 which is in interfacing engagement with the highly polishedsurface 114 of the fixed disk 80. An opening 122 is formed in thesurface 120 of the movable disk 118 and communicates with a centralopening 124 formed therein which, in turn, communicates with an opening126 formed in a second major surface 128 of the movable disk. Theopenings 124 and 126 form a passage which combine with the opening 122to provide a continuous opening or passage through the movable disk 118.

A coupler 130, also shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, is positioned abovethe movable disk 118 and is formed with a plurality of lugs 132 (oneshown) which nest into a corresponding plurality of notches 134 (oneshown) for transmitting motion from the coupler to the movable disk inthe same manner as described above. A plurality of holes 136 are formedthrough the coupler and communicate with the opening 126 of the movabledisk 118. A circular ridge 138 is formed in the movable disk 118 and iscontiguous with the opening 126 thereof. An O-ring 140 is capturedbetween the ridge 138 and the underside of the coupler 130 to provide awater tight seal between the opening 126 and the adjacent portion of theunderside of the coupler.

A hole 142 is formed through a central portion of the coupler 130 forsupporting a flexible valve 144 such as, for example, an umbrella valvewhich is composed of a resilient material such as, for example, rubber.In this context, the coupler 130 functions as a valve holder forsupporting the flexible valve 144 within the cartridge valve 116. Asshown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 15 and 16, the flexible valve 144 is formedintegrally with a saucer 146, a central hub 148, a stem 150 and anenlarged head 152. The saucer 146 terminates in a circular rim 154 andthe saucer 146 is formed with an inner surface 156 and an outer surface158. The saucer 144 is generally formed in a parabolic shape with theinner surface 156 being concave and the outer surface 158 being convex.

Referring again to FIG. 5, the stem 150 is located in the hole 142 ofthe coupler 130, the head 152 is above the hole and the saucer 146 andthe hub 148 are located within the opening 126 of the movable disk 118.Also, the underside of the hub 148 is spaced above the opening 124 ofthe movable disk 118. During a period when water is flowing through thecartridge valve 116 under normal water pressure conditions, the waterpasses through the opening 142 of the movable disk 118 and into theopening 126 thereof. Also during this period, the saucer 146 of theflexible valve 144 is in its normal state as shown in FIG. 5 wherein thewater passing through the cartridge valve 116 is in contact with theouter surface 158 of the flexible valve to press the rim 154 firmlyagainst the adjacent underside of the coupler 130. In this position, theflexible valve 144 forms a tight seal to prevent communication betweenthe opening 126 of the movable disk 118 and the holes 136 of the coupler130.

Air, which exists in the environment about the exterior of the cartridgevalve 116, enters the valve through the opening 72 and occupies theinternally open portions of the valve represented by the stippled areasshown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8. During operation of the cartridge valve116 under normal water pressure conditions, the water pressure levelexceeds the pressure level of the air present at the inner surface 154of the saucer 146 of the flexible valve 144. Under this condition, thesaucer 146 assumes the position as illustrated to seal the holes 136 andthereby preclude the passage of water therein.

If the pressure of the water being supplied through the cartridge valve116 drops as noted above, thereby developing a negative pressure, thepressure of the air adjacent the inner surface 158 of the flexible valve144 is now greater than the water pressure. With this pressuredifferential, the saucer 146 is forced away from sealing engagement withthe underside of the coupler 130. The air can now enter the passage ofthe movable disk 118 formed by the openings 114, 122 and 126, and intothe inlet conduits, to negate the effects of the negative pressure. Ifthe spray head 44 (FIG. 1) had been in the dirty water as describedabove, the dirty water would not have been siphoned into the spray headand the potable water supply.

Referring to FIG. 6, a cartridge valve 160 forms a second embodiment ofa cartridge valve with an integral vacuum breaker. In this secondembodiment, a circular groove 162 is formed in the surface 128 of themovable disk 118 for receipt of the O-ring 140 which is captured betweenthe movable disk and a coupler 164 to form a seal in the mannerdescribed above. A plurality of holes 166 are formed in the side of thehousing 66 to provide an additional passage to allow the environmentalair to enter the housing. The coupler 164 is formed with a thinnerprofile than the coupler 130 (FIG. 5) to provide an open passage for theair which is entering through the holes 166 as well as the air which isentering through the opening 72. The cartridge valve 160 performs in thesame manner as the cartridge valve 116 with respect to the response tothe development of a negative pressure in the water being suppliedthrough the valve 160.

As shown in FIG. 7, a cartridge valve 168 forms a third embodiment of acartridge valve with an integral vacuum breaker, which is the preferredembodiment. The cartridge valve 168 differs from the cartridge valve 160(FIG. 6) in that the size of the major opening 72 has been reduced, asshown in FIGS. 7 and 9, to the extent that essentially all of theenvironmental air within the housing 66 enters through the holes 166.The cartridge valve 168 performs in the same manner as cartridge valves116 and 160 with respect to the response to the development of anegative pressure in the water being supplied through the valve 168. Alubricating packing material may be placed in a space 170 within theopening 72 to further seal the opening from the air in the environmentsurrounding the cartridge valve 168.

Thus, the three embodiments of cartridge valves 116, 160 and 168, eachwith an integral vacuum breaker, provide the many the continuedlong-wearing and functional advantages of using a ceramic valve whilealso providing the anti-siphoning feature without sacrificing thecompactness and space advantages attributable to a ceramic valve.

In general, the above-identified embodiments are not to be construed aslimiting the breadth of the present invention. Modifications, and otheralternative constructions, will be apparent which are within the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cartridge valve with a vacuum breaker, whichcomprisesa housing; a first disk mounted fixedly within the housingformed with a first surface and formed with an opening therethrough; asecond disk mounted for movement within the housing and formed with asecond surface on one side thereof in interfacing engagement with thefirst surface, and a third surface formed on a side thereof opposite theone side; the second disk being formed with a passage therethrough whichis positionable in communication with the opening formed through thefirst disk upon selective movement of the second disk; a valve holderpositioned adjacent the third surface of the second disk and having atleast one hole formed therethrough for communication with the passage ofthe second disk; a pressure-responsive valve having a stationary portionattached to the valve holder to preclude movement of the stationaryportion of the pressure-responsive valve relative to the valve holder;and the pressure-responsive valve having a flexible portion for blockingcommunication between the hole of the valve holder and the passage ofthe second disk when the pressure of a medium in the passage is greaterthan the pressure of a medium in the hole and for allowing communicationtherebetween when the pressure in the passage is less than the pressurein the hole.
 2. The cartridge valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein thefirst and second disks are composed of a hard material.
 3. The cartridgevalve as set forth in claim 2, wherein the hard material is ceramic. 4.The cartridge valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pressureresponsive valve comprises:a saucer having a concave interior surface; ahub extending centrally from the interior surface of the saucer; a stemextending from the hub; and an enlarged head extending from the stem. 5.The cartridge valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pressureresponsive valve comprises:a hub; a stem extending from the hub; and anenlarged head extending from the stem.
 6. The cartridge valve as setforth in claim 5, wherein the valve holder is formed with a second holetherethrough with the stem being located within the second hole, thehead located outside and at one end of the second hole and the hublocated outside and at another end of the second hole opposite the oneend.
 7. The cartridge valve as set forth in claim 1, which furthercomprises a major opening formed in the cartridge valve such that anenvironment outside of the cartridge valve is in communication, throughthe major opening, with the opening formed through the valve holder. 8.The cartridge valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing isformed with at least one hole in a side wall thereof which is incommunication with the hole formed in the valve holder.
 9. The cartridgevalve as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing is generallycylindrical about a central axis thereof, and the housing comprises atleast one hole formed therethrough which is generally perpendicular tothe central axis thereof.
 10. The cartridge valve as set forth in claim1, wherein the one hole formed in the valve holder is a first hole and asecond hole is formed therethrough with the stationary portion of thepressure responsive valve being located in the second hole.
 11. Thecartridge valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein the flexible portion ofthe pressure-responsive valve is formed with a rim which surrounds andseals the hole formed in the valve holder to block communication betweenthe sealed hole and the passage of the second disk.
 12. The cartridgevalve as set forth in claim 1, wherein the valve holder is a couplerwhich is attached to the second disk to move the second disk uponselective movement of the coupler.